Sweet Revenge
by Carolyne Smythe
Summary: A tale of the Fantastic Five's youngest member, Miss Fantastic outwitting their arch-enemy, Dr. Doom! (Takes place in an alternate dimension.)
1. Author's Note

Sweet Revenge  
By  
Carolyne Smythe  
  
As many faithful readers of the Fantastic Four know, the F4 have triumphed over Dr. Doom many times. These many victories are due to Doom having a flaw or two in each of his plans. The following story, like most of my "Miss Fantastic" tales takes place in an alternate dimension. I consider this the most serious story in the collection of tales I have composed starring Marilyn Richards thus far. This tale is also the start of a new phase for the collection, in which I shall be writing more "serious" stories for the next few weeks-months.  



	2. 

It was a typical day at the Baxter Building. Reed Richards was working on the latest mechanism his four colleagues would eventually get to use in their exploits. His stepdaughter, sidekick, and lab assistant, Marilyn Richards was nearby, cleaning a few lab tools that Reed had recently used. In another part of the complex, Susan Storm Richards was performing the drastic job of doing the team's laundry. On the floor above, Sue's brother, Johnny was tinkering around with a part he was going to put in his sportscar. The only one practically not doing anything was Benjamin Grimm, who was sitting in the living room reading a Sports Illustrated magazine. Suddenly, an alarm rang out from the Watch Room. Quickly, Reed stopped working, stretched his head and neck out of the lab, and peered into the Watch Room. Mary followed behind in time to hear her stepfather say.  
  
"Great Scott! A disturbance has occurred in Latveria! Dr. Doom must be at it again!"  
  
Then, Reed reverted back to the lab, pressed a button on the wall to activate the intercom, and said in a loud, firm voice.  
  
"Everyone discontinue what you are doing and hurry to the Fantasticar! I'll explain what is going on to all of you while we are loading up in the Hangar Bay!"  
  
The Fantastic Five speedily ran up to the top floor, where the Hangar Bay was. In just five minutes, they had the Fantasticar ready to head off to Doomstadt, Latveria. Reed said over the Fantasticar's communications system to his co-pilot.  
  
"Are we ready to take off Ben?"  
  
"As ready as we can git!" Ben responded.  
  
Then, five seatbelts clicked in unison, and the jets of the Fantasticar started with a thunderous roar. The team then headed out to Latveria. On the way to their destination, Mary had disarraying thoughts.  
  
"Why is it, I feel like this is going to be so much different from our other bouts with Doom?"  
  
Mary kept thinking over and over. An hour later, as they approached Latveria, Reed monitored the sky with an uneasy feeling. Over the communications system, he alerted Ben.  
  
"Ben, start ascending the Fantasticar at least 50,000 feet. It looks like we have a dangerous storm ahead."  
  
"Aye aye string bean." Ben replied in a humble, yet concerned tone.  
  
The Fantasticar began to rise, and tried to avoid the storm it was embarking to fly under. A brilliant white-hot bolt of lightning suddenly struck the Fantasticar. Blue sparks erupted from the spot that was struck, and the jets slowly deceased. The Fantasticar started to descend uncontrollably. Three screams came out from the mouths of Sue, Johnny, and Ben. The other two who were not screaming, Reed and Mary, were staring out from the front compartment's window at where their possible final fate was going to be. Reed turned his head to look at his stepdaughter one final time. Mary had taken no reluctance in commencing to shed her tears. Reed, trying to look fearless in a time of pending death, but keeping a sad look on his face gently put his arm around Mary, and hugged her. Just as Reed began comforting his stepdaughter, the Fantasticar crashed. It impacted with a noise like a car crusher's amplified twenty times. Amazingly, there was no fire. A lot of dust was stirred, and took fifteen minutes to clear. Various little to medium pieces of the Fantasticar were strewn about the small field. But astoundingly, the main parts of the Fantasticar had remained intact. The Fantastic Five though, were unconscious. The storm raged over them. Lightning flashed, thunder roared, wind blew rough, and colossal drops of rain fell all about the silent, immobile vehicle. The intensity of the storm was almost as if it was an omen of what was to come next for the five superpowered friends. Right when the storm cleared, six strange looking figures moved down the nearby hill towards the Fantasticar. As the stars were beginning to come out in the sky above, the figures approached the vehicle with huge, strong, mechanized strides. The robots made all kinds of automated noises, but these noises were not loud enough to wake any of the unconscious Fantastic Five. All of the robots had the Latverian seal imprinted on their right arm. Slowly and carefully, the robots began to cut into the Fantasticar. The leader of this mechanized group said in a droning tone to capture each member. The robots Dr. Doom sent out did as their leader told them. Within ten minutes, each robot had the member they were ordered to capture in their hands, unawake and unaware of what was happening to them. But, most robots and machines always have a flaw. And, in the case of Doom's robots, their flaw was forgetting a minor thing about their orders from their master. This minor thing worked out in a fortunate way for a member of the Fantastic Five. A member, who would not wake up until that next morning, and until then, would be unaware of the fact that the fate of her only friends rested in her hands.  



	3. 

I awoke in nothing but pain and darkness. Every part of me felt pulverized and crushed. Suddenly, I realized I wasn't even in a humanoid shape. The impact of the crash was so great; I had fallen out of my seat, and into the place where my feet usually rested. I crawled out from the foot of the compartment Father and I sit together in what was then a ravaged Fantasticar. When I finally sat back up in a normal form, I started to relax and waited for the pain to die down. As I sat there in the darkness looking up towards the slowly fading stars in the sky, I tried to recall what happened.  
  
"Let's see... I started crying. Father began to hug me, then we must have crashed for that was where I blacked out..."  
  
As I remembered the crash, I couldn't believe I had almost forgotten how scary it was. It was even more frightening than the crash of the rocket that careened me and my friends to the cosmic rays that gave us our powers. I immediately then had a flashback to the time I, Marilyn Richards was a proud member of the in-a-way ill-fated Richards Pocket Rocket crew. Everything from the cosmic rays, to the horrible migraine and aches that throbbed throughout my body, and the discovery of my powers came back to me in such a way that I woke up in a cold sweat. Apparently, I fell asleep during my moment of relaxation. I shook my head, then got to look at my surroundings. It was still dark, but there was then a hint of light in the sky. The sun was rising. I made sure there was no one dangerous or suspicious looking around. The whole clearing was empty. Then, I started to survey the rest of the Fantasticar. It was obvious that Father and I along with Ben and Johnny already had a ton of work to do when we got back to the Baxter Building. In other words, we had to build a new Fantasticar. It was when I thought about that, I realized Father was not beside of me. I must have really been out of it. I called Father in a quiet, yet loud tone.  
  
"Father! Father! Are you ok? Where are you?"  
  
There was no response. An uneasy feeling began to take over me.  
  
"Johnny? Sue? Ben? Are you guys in any pain? Can you hear me?"  
  
Again, there were no replies. I felt awfully concerned. I finally got out of the Fantasticar, and walked around. All of the compartments were empty. In desperation, I called out.  
  
"Guys, if this is a joke, this is not funny. I thought we were on a mission, not some kind of test or practice."  
  
I realize I probably did sound like an idiot saying that. But, who knows what my friends might do to get back at me for some of the pranks I played on them in the past. Anyway, my friends did not appear. As I started to hang my head down in disbelief, and fear, I noticed on the ground footprints. I ran back to my compartment, and got the little knapsack I always brought with me on missions. Then, I got out from it a magnifying glass. I looked at a footprint with the magnifier. Not only was the footprint an unusual size, it had a weird symbol in the center. I scrutinized the footprint even more. It was then, I realized the odd symbol was the seal of Latveria.  
  
"Oh no.. It can't be. My four best friends, kidnapped by Doom.. Why now? Why couldn't it have been when I was more prepared? Or had more training from Father for such a situation?"  
  
I was in total shock for five minutes. I knew sooner or later, it would come to a point where the rest of the team depended on me to save them from the clutches of some evil foe. But, never did I ever think that it would be our most deadly foe, Dr. Doom. Dr. Doom was especially dangerous in the fact that of all five members, he wanted my stepfather and me dead the most. And of all things, just because of a misunderstanding that Doom and Father had in college. The only reason Doom wanted me dead was the fact that I to him like many others was a "little girl" version of my stepfather. Not only did my stepfather and I possess similar looks and powers. We both were considered incredible intellects. I'm not as brilliant as my stepfather is, but I have an amazing mind for my age. I got out of that shock, picked up my knapsack, and got off the ground. The sun was above the horizon then. I hurriedly inspected the Fantasticar for any goods I could use on my first, not to mention long solo mission ahead. I found in Father and I's compartment a laser gun along with a holster to keep it in, a chemical bomb, and a nifty little silver gear belt that the mechanized creeps must have taken off Father before carrying him away to Castle Doom. In the other compartments I found cigars, a small map of Doomstadt (Along with various other maps of places we have had missions at. But the Doomstadt one was the only one I needed.), three tubes of lipstick, eyeshadow, foundation, a little flashlight, and a lighter. Luckily, I was able to fit all items in my medium-sized knapsack along with the miniature Talkboy, slingshot, a few ball bearings, a Swiss army knife, some miniature firecrackers, some tiny containers of various substances, four packs of gum, two packs of taffy, and a little bag of Tootsie Rolls that were already in there. I slung the knapsack's handle over my shoulder. Then, I put on the gear belt. I looked at the Fantasticar, sighed, and said under my breath in such a way, it was almost like I thought my friends could hear me..  
  
"It is daylight, I am wearing an outlandish blue uniform, I am one of the most hated people in this country, yet I am not afraid. Doom shall get a taste of my sweet revenge friends. Please hang in there."  
  
As I made great distance toward the somewhat far away hill thanks to my power, I thought I could hear Father in my mind saying in a confidential voice.  
  
"You can do it my child. I know you can."  



	4. 

Meanwhile at Castle Doom, everyone awoke to being in a cell. The cells that the four captured members of the Fantastic Five were being held in had immobilized their powers. The one whose immobilization was most obvious was Ben. The special cell had made him human again. At first, he thought that his ultimate dream had come true.  
  
"Oh my... Stretch! You did it! You finally cured me of bein' tha Thing! I cannot believe I'm..."  
  
Ben paused when he realized where he was. He instantly pressed the button that activated the hidden communicator in his uniform's belt. Despite his immense size as the Thing, Ben's uniform still fitted due to the outfit's ability to adapt to any change physically the person endures. Ben said quietly over the communicator.  
  
"Are any of ya guys awake?"  
  
A response instantly sounded on the communicator. It was from Reed.  
  
"Yes Ben. Can you hear me loud and clear?"  
  
"Yeah Reed. I'm hearin' ya just fine." Ben replied.  
  
"Listen Ben, I've been able to get in touch with Sue and Johnny. But I can't reach Mary. It's almost as if she is not within the vicinity of this castle." Reed answered back in a concerned tone.  
  
Ben then said.  
  
"Man... You don't think she's..."  
  
"Don't say it Ben. It grieves me to think she could already be dead." Reed said in a humble, but awful sad voice.  
  
"Stretch, ya shouldn't give up hope like that. She's a tough girl. I think she could hold her own against Doom."  
  
"I'm just praying that those robots made a flaw, and left Mary at the Fantasticar. If that is what happened, our only chance of escaping alive lies with her."  
  
"Is that girl even ready for such a mission?" Johnny joined in.  
  
"My main concern is I have not even trained her on what to do for such a situation. We have no other choice though but to put our faith in her." Reed responded.  
  
"Oh Reed, the poor girl. She probably is terrified!" Sue suddenly said.  
  
"Not terrified Sue, but brave. For her to be all alone like that, without me, Ben, Johnny, or you around, and especially in this country is to be very brave for someone like Mary." Reed said in a calm, firm voice.  
  
Reed then thought to himself when he and the others were done with the conversation.  
  
"Please let it be that Mary is somewhere near this castle and not already dead like she could be. If Mary is dead, Doom will pay for harming that innocent girl."  
  
He thought way back to the time he saved Mary from almost starving and dehydrating to death when he found her outside his mansion one fateful night in Central City, California. Not only did Reed save Mary from lack of food and drink; he also saved her from having to go back to a slum called the Central City Orphanage. He decided he wanted a child to share his scientific discoveries with, to teach, and one to simply call his own. Reed thought all about what he and Mary had been through since then. The rocket flight, being on the run from the public for a little while after they got their powers, and their bouts with Submariner, and Dr. Doom. He sighed, and actually shed a tear. Then, he closed his eyes, praying that wherever Mary was, she was safe and sound for the time being.  



	5. 

I finally made it to the hill ten minutes after I left the Fantasticar. I was extremely exhausted. At the top of the hill was a huge apple tree. I sat down at the base of it. While I rested, I noticed growing at the base was a pair of full-grown wild mushrooms. I looked over them carefully. Immediately, thanks to one out of a set of ten nature books my stepfather gave me for Christmas when I was ten years old, I recognized the fungi to be one of the most poisonous varieties in all of Europe. With the Swiss army knife, I cut the two mushrooms; picked them up with the tweezers the army knife had, and placed them in a small bag the gear belt just happened to carry. As a precaution, I got out the small bottle of super strong hand sanitizer I made with my little chemistry set back at home from my knapsack, poured a little bit into my hands, and rubbed it in. Then, I stood up, and looked at the apple tree's branches. The apples appeared to be fresh and ripe. I stretched my arm to a high branch, and snapped an apple off. Before I ate the apple, I smelled and peered over it to make sure there were no signs of rotting, pesticides, or a worm residing inside. As I ate the apple, I viewed the land down below the hill. It was no wonder that Doom's men were able to reach the Fantasticar in as short an amount of time as they did. Doomstadt was right beyond the hill! Everywhere was medieval styled homes and stores. It was almost like I had walked into a time warp. The people walking throughout the village wore typical Eastern European styled clothing. Everyone had very false looking smiles. Doomstadt itself was proof of how Latveria was one of the poorest European countries. I almost felt sorry for those natives. But, what kept me from completely feeling sorry for them was the fact that Doom as their ruler had brainwashed them into hating me and my friends for no reason other than we were his "sworn enemies". The problem was going to be getting into Doomstadt without the natives recognizing who I was. Suddenly, an idea literally came to me. On a nearby path, a man and a cart were heading towards me. The man had a cane, and was poking it around as if he was not sure about what was around him. He was a blind man. Before I left the tree, I had taken a little translator from the gear belt that enabled me to speak English, yet would come out as any language I needed to be said, and vice-versa for the way I heard the person I was speaking to. Putting the translator on my belt, and setting it to the Latverian language, I was ready to converse with anyone within Latveria. Then quickly, I took a couple more apples from the tree, and headed down the hill. When I got to the trader, I calmly asked him.  
  
"Excuse me sir, I was wondering how much I could trade for that lovely black cloak on your cart?"  
  
The blind man turned his back to me and said in a thick Latverian accent.  
  
"You must give me two of something for it!"  
  
I tapped him on the shoulder. It nearly startled him.  
  
"Yipe! Don't do that! I hate it when people scare me like that!"  
  
He kept going on and on in an irrational voice about how he hated people startling him. I hastily put the two apples I had picked in his hands, stretched up and grabbed the cloak, and ran fast to a nearby bush. There, I put the cloak on. The cloak was so immense; it covered my easily noticeable uniform completely. When I put the hood on, I knew I looked like those druids that performed the annual rituals at Stonehenge in England. I don't think my friends would even recognize me if I wore that cloak. With that disguise I was confident with, I walked straight on to Doomstadt.  



	6. 

Dr. Doom sat in his Throne Room rejoicing gleefully.  
  
"Yes, I finally got Richards and his girl in a place they cannot get out of! This is my most glorious plan yet!"  
  
One of Doom's many servant robots thundered in.  
  
"Sire, we hate to report this to you, but it appears that Marilyn Richards is not in her assigned cell."  
  
"WHAT?!!"  
  
"Marilyn Richards is in Doomstadt right now. She was last reported to be seen at Von Doom Hill."  
  
"HOW COULD YOU LEAVE HER AT THAT WRETCHED PLANE OF THEIRS'?"  
  
Doom retorted as he destroyed the mechanized servant.  
  
"I should have known better than to trust those robots. But wait... This makes my plan even better! There is no way she will want to leave her dear friends behind!"  
  
Doom let out a wicked laugh. A wicked laugh that sent chills up his servants' spines. Doom called together his human servants.  
  
"Servants, I want all of you to prepare these rooms for a little visitor..."  
  
Doom began tell them all about the little plans he had for Mary. His servants did nothing but nodded, and went out to their assigned parts of the castle to carry out the cruel intentions he had for Mary.  



	7. 

The closer I approached Doomstadt, the more I felt like everyone saw me as someone important. The first building on the right was some kind of church or shrine. It was around there I noticed why the natives were looking at me with such prominence. A line of black cloaked people was marching into the religious establishment. Everyone I walked by must of thought I was one of those monks or druids. It dawned on me that the very cloak must have belonged to one of those people. So I would not appear irregular, I joined the group entering the small temple. What I saw inside made me very shocked, and increased my hunger for revenge. Besides the congregation of over one hundred Doomstadt natives, and the circle of dark cloaked monks around them, there was a statue of Doom in the center of that shrine. It appalled me how Doom could get those folks to believe that he was a GOD. There was no way I was going to participate in that ceremony. But how was I going to get out? I begin to notice how the monks could go up to individuals in the congregation, and request ANYTHING of them. I even saw two monks ask two women to go ahead with them, and do something that was none of my business. This gave me an idea. I started to concentrate on making myself look very old and wrinkled thanks to my powers. Then, I started observing the congregation. To my left, a few rows down was a boy who looked exactly my age and height. I walked up to him, and said in the most old and crippled masculine voice I could do.  
  
"Young one, come here."  
  
The boy approached me and said in such a way as if he was praising me.  
  
" Yes prophet of Lord Doom, what do you request of me?"  
  
"Prophet of Lord Doom?" That thought raced through my head, and hit me in the pit of my stomach. But still, I persevered on.  
  
"Would you lend me your clothes so I can spend my possible last day on this Earth imagining I am a young lad like you?"  
  
Yes, in a way a sick request I realized. But, I was desperate to get that outfit that represented such a dark, dirty, and downright evil religion off. The boy responded.  
  
"Yes, faithful prophet. Lord Doom shall be so proud of me!"  
  
He began to strip down to his undergarments. As soon as he had his shirt and pants off, I made sure no one was looking, molded one of my hands into a mallet, and conked the boy out. The boy was not knocked out completely. He kept mumbling as I left him behind.  
  
"Lord Doom will be so proud of me..."  
  
The congregation and monks were so busy chanting and carrying on with their ceremony that I was able to sneak out easily. Behind the shrine, I took off the cloak, and put on the boy's clothes over my uniform. The people of Latveria possessed black or very dark brown hair. I didn't want to stick out with my light-medium brown hair, so I hid it all under the boy's hat. I felt weird dressing like that. But hey, I along with my stepfather, Ben, and Johnny had to dress like rejects from the Pirates of Penzance during our first conflict with Doom. Praying that new disguise worked, I walked back into the streets of Doomstadt.  



	8. 

Meanwhile, the other four members were exchanging through their communicators. It was the only thing they could do, and their only form of comfort until Mary got there.  
  
"What I don't get is how Doom could have fooled us so easily." Johnny said disbelievingly.  
  
"It is elementary lad." Reed replied, then continued.  
  
"Doom obviously knew the storm was going to strike. He set up something that could be detected by the equipment in our Watch Room, and would get our attention."  
  
"Well duh Stretch! Maybe ya should've looked into what kind of problam it waz b'fore we left!" Ben interrupted.  
  
"Ben, knowing Doom, we could not take our chances with him. He always is thinking up of many ideas to take over the world. We never know which of those ideas he could unleash next."  
  
"I just cannot get over how Doom has easily got us this time." Johnny went on.  
  
"I mean look, we have been put in cells that have power stabilizers, sound proof walls, no way of looking through to the outside world, and doors that we could easily open or get through with our powers, but cannot because we can't use our powers. Doom has cooked up the works here."  
  
"Hmmm, the doors and power stabilizers... Listen to yourselves. How much disbelief you're in. It is evident that Doom had intended this to be a form of emotional torture." Reed said in a logical tone.  
  
"What do you think Doom has planned for us Reed?" Sue asked in a fearful voice.  
  
"It is very rare for me to say, but I have no idea." Reed replied solemnly.  
  
"He probably could starve us to death. But knowing Doom, that would be too slow for his taste." countered Johnny.  
  
"No, I think Doom would have something more colossal than starvation planned for our death. And knowing his hatred for Mary and I, he's awaiting her arrival. Once she arrives, he definitely stop at nothing to kill her off first."  
  
Suddenly, static sounded on all four's communicators. A sardonic voice then came on.  
  
"Greetings fools. I have been listening to your pathetic jabbering over my castle transmitter. And, I must say your colleagues Richards may have more use than I thought they did. They would make excellent servants."  
  
"NEVER WOULD WE SERVE YOU DOOM!" Sue and Johnny yelled in unison.  
  
"I don't think I would yell nor speak if I were you." Doom chortled, then continued.  
  
"I happen to know what is behind the walls of your cells. I do not think you want to find out, but you will if you SWINES do not keep YOUR MOUTHS CLOSED!"  
  
Silence followed after Doom finished. But, Doom had more to say.  
  
"And, Reed Richards, I want to compliment your brilliance that is only outshined by mine. You have already figured out my plan for your child when she comes. And all I have to say about it is that your precious Marilyn shall be thrilled by my castle of fun. Now that you are mere humans without those exasperating powers, all four of you are so much more yielding to toy with!"  
  
With those words said, the four captives could do nothing but pray and hope.  



	9. 

There I was, cross-dressed, and one of the most hated people in all of Latveria walking through the streets of Doomstadt. I did not need to waste much time. Yet, I had a feeling deep down that I did not have quite enough items to help me get through Doom's castle. Doom was very big on booby traps, and from my experience, I knew you had to be prepared for practically anything from Doom. I would never forget the time Doom switched bodies with Father. If it had not been for my driving Doom in Father's body up the wall, the others would have never suspected it was Doom. Anyway, I carefully observed what stores were around. There was a cart with fresh fruit, a candy store, a clothing store, and to my surprise, a toy store. All of the stores on that one street were in horrid condition. The building they were in appeared to be falling apart. And, they all did not seem to carry much. But, I needed at least a few more goods that would be sufficient enough in Doom's castle. I decided to head into the toy store. When I entered, I saw nothing but wind-up toys on the shelves. Wind up birds, mice, frogs, cats, dogs, lizards, etc. were everywhere in that store. That was a lame toy store by my standards, but none the less, the merchandise would make for excellent decoys to test certain rooms in the castle out with. There was no sign of the toy maker or the storeowner around. Using my skills of thievery from the days I ran away from the Central City Orphanage, I grabbed all the wind-up toys I could stuff into my knapsack, and gear belt. Then, I ran out of the store. The next store I went up to was the candy store. It was quiet obvious in there that the Latverians missed out a ton on the good things America has to offer, like decent candy. But, all I needed was stuff that was good, sticky, and/or made people gag. Everyone apparently was still out at that shrine worshiping Doom, for there was no one manning the candy store. I got a hold of some taffy, Atomic Fireballs, and some more gum. I did not care if it was too hot, or was not tasty; I just needed stuff to give Doom and his servants an extremely hard time. I got out of the candy store after finding that all nooks and crannies in my knapsack and gear belt had been filled. I was about as ready as I could get for Doom's nightmare palace.  
  
"Ok, where is Doomsie's home?"  
  
I said under my breath. That question was answered the minute I turned around, and looked down a path to my left. Approximately three miles past the residential section of that street was where the castle lied. I immediately ducked into a dark alley, where I took off the Latverian boy's clothes, and put them in what appeared to be a makeshift garbage can. Then, with the knapsack hanging off my shoulder, and the gear belt clinging to my waist, I started to make the longest strides down that main street towards Castle Doom.  



	10. 

By the time I reached Castle Doom, I had to catch my breath. Before I did that, I hid behind a tree, and thought. Doom would never make it so easy to get to the door or windows of his castle. Doom's castle had to have some form of getting around because where it was happened to be the fourth location it was in ever since we have been fighting Doom. Before, it had been on a mountain, on a hill, and right at the edge of Doomstadt. One thing that looked awfully suspicious about the land around Doom's castle was all of the little mounds covering it. Doom should have known better than to use land mines to keep this little girl out. But before I stretched over them, I had to take precautions. There was a particular kind of land mine that had just been invented at the time. They blew up under ANYTHING that went over and not just stepped on them. I took out my slingshot from the knapsack along with a ball bearing, and aimed at the sky beyond the castle. The instant that ball bearing went over those land mines, fire shot over one hundred feet into the air from at least seven mines. I shook my head.  
  
"Yes indeed, Doom has gotten those new and improved suckers..." I said under my breath.  
  
For a moment, I was stumped. Even though there was a path I had made of used mines with the ball bearing, I was afraid it was too thin to walk through without triggering any mines beside it. Suddenly, I realized what could make the path larger, the wind-up toys! I had gotten over twenty toys back at the store. I took out the one half of those I had in my knapsack. Then, I walked to where the tiny path of used mines began. I winded up two of the little toys, and let them loose on the bumpy ground. It had not even been three seconds when the first mine near the path went off. Two more seconds later, another one was set off a little ways farther from the first one. I walked onto what was now a safe part of the path. More destroyed wind-up toys and mines later; I would make it to safer ground. But, there was another obstacle that was keeping me from getting into Doom's castle, his robotic guards. An idea then just came to me, and I smiled. From observing them, I noticed the automated guards walked around the castle in such a pattern, they faced each other at one point every two minutes. When it got to that point, I leaped to an area in between them and said.  
  
"Your computer chips cannot hold one megabyte of memory!" (Computer talk for "You have no brains.")  
  
A split second after I let that out, I instantly made myself as flat as I could outside the castle wall. The two robots shot a bolt of white-hot plasma from where their hands were supposed to be. I had gotten out of their line of fire in time to see them eliminate themselves.  
  
"Two down, 998 more to go."  
  
I thought, as I began to ascend the castle wall towards a window. Like most medieval castle windows, this window was not covered making my breaking into the Doom's home sweet home easy. Before I jumped in, I mumbled very quietly.  
  
"It's show time."  



	11. 

The instant I jumped into one of the numerous hallways of Castle Doom, a robot spotted me. It spoke in such a droning voice.  
  
"You are an intruder of Castle Doom. You are ordered to freeze right there, or I'll blast you."  
  
Letting my eyes look around in such a way, the robot would not notice, I spotted an air vent on the wall. Quietly taking the laser gun from the holster on my gear belt, I hurriedly shot a laser right at the robot's plasma gun. The laser immediately disabled the robot's main weapon. Before it had time to react, I had slithered into the vent. Due to my using some of the wind-up toys up earlier, I had enough room in my knapsack to put the gear belt in, which was a big help in my being able to get through vents then. Quickly and quietly, I started to crawl down the small passageway. Every vent I came across, I looked through. One room I got to be above was the kitchen. In there, Castle Doom's cook, who happened to resemble a combination of all of the cafeteria workers at my school, was fixing what appeared to be some Latverian stew. When she had her back turned, I grabbed the mortar and pestle from the counter near the stove. Silently, I took out the poisonous mushrooms from the gear belt in the knapsack, folded the nostrils of my nose in so I would not smell any toxic fumes, and started crushing the fungi with the mortar and pestle. The results of this were an extremely fatal paste that I put into the stew when the sorry sap of a woman was not paying attention. As I crawled away from that vent, I whispered.  
  
"Bone appetit freaks."  
  
The next room I came across proved Doom's horrible taste in art. That room was his painting gallery. I made sure there were no servants, robot or human, wandering about, and then I crawled through into the room. It was obvious here that Doom was too obsessed with seeing my stepfather and me dead. The large painting that was the centerpiece of the gallery had Father and I being crucified. In the background, Ben, Sue, and Johnny were suffering the same form of torture, except on rocks. Doom had finally got the best of me with that then. I made the decision that I was really going to give in an indirect way what he had coming starting with that piece of trash painting. I took out from my knapsack one of the three lipsticks. With that lipstick, I wrote the following message on that so-called masterpiece.  
  
"I thought this painting could use a little bit more color."  
  
And, I did not mean VISUAL COLOR with that message. Other paintings I ruined included his precious portraits of him before the lab accident that gave him the scarred face, which he wrongfully accuses my stepfather of setting up. With the lipstick, I drew mustaches, beards, goatees, and/or moles onto what was to Doom a handsome face. When I was done with that task, I snaked back up into the vent. I decided there had to be a fun, effective way of getting rid of a few hundred robots. In the vent, I brought out my miniature Talkboy from the knapsack. I had already set it up so that at the press of a button, whatever I recorded could be played as if it was spoken by one of my four friends. To make sure it was still working, I recorded this.  
  
"All hail Marilyn Richards, Queen of the Universe."  
  
I played it under all four preset voices. Every one sounded perfect. Then, I quickly got to work on creating a fifth voice, Doom's. It took me five minutes to finally get right, but I was able to create a voice completely identical to Doom's evil one. It sounded so similar to Doom; I actually had to restrain myself from laughing loud over Doom ever saying to hail me as Queen of the Universe. The next vent I came across led to a room that kept Doom's robot surplus. I slithered in, and got out my Talkboy. I recorded this message on it.  
  
"Fellow servants, you are to annihilate any of your kind. When you are done doing this, destroy yourself! Now go forth my children!"  
  
Then, I went and turned on all robots in that room. Apparently, Doom had not fed the I.D. software to his robots yet, for they did not stir the moment I turn them on. It was as if they were just ready to be given orders by whoever turned them on. I went back into the vent, played the Talkboy with the preset Doom voice. What happened next was incredible. I had never seen so much plasma fly around in one room. When the battle royale between the robots was over, I recorded this message and played it for what remained of the automatic servants.  
  
"You have served your duty well, even for one who is not your true master!"  
  
I crawled on down the tunnel to a vent that hung over a hall where two human servants were speaking.  
  
"You want to know something Gregor, I am getting sick of the same thing for our dinners every night."  
  
"Me too Otto. Why can't that stupid cook fix something different?"  
  
I let out a quiet snicker as I continued. Those guys were indeed going to have a different meal that night, Latverian Stew ala Richards. Before I entered another hallway, I took out my Talkboy and recorded a new message on it,  
  
"You have done well my fellow servant, and as a reward you will get a special treat that will help the gears that help you run."  
  
Then I put on the black cloak that I had surprisingly kept. And, I took out two packs of gum and a pack of taffy. I got out of the vent, and walked up to one of the two robots in that hall. I played the message under the fake Doom voice. The robot actually held out his hand for his "treat". I smiled, this was going great! I put the piece of gum in the robot's hand The mechanized idiot put the gum in its mouth, and swallowed. The next few minutes, the gum would get tangled up in its gears. I did this trick to the next ten robots I encountered. Before I went any further, I recorded yet another new message.  
  
"Fellow servants, go forth and DESTROY YOUR MASTER!"  
  
But before I unleashed the remaining robots on Doom though, I had to take care of another security measure in Doom's little home, his watch cameras. At the risk of him seeing me, I wrote on the camera's lens the following epistles.  
  
"Mary was here!"  
  
"Welcome to my nightmare!"  
  
"Nigh nigh nigh nigh nigh!"  
  
"And you think you're smart!"  
  
After writing those ditties on every piece of viewing machinery I could come across. I turned the miniature Talkboy's volume up to MAXIMUM, and left it in the middle of the hallway repeating the command to eliminate Doom. Compared to the ones I then finally went to find, I could care less about that Talkboy.  



	12. 

I crawled around the castle for what seemed like forever in that one small air vent. Eventually, I reached a part of the castle I had not seen yet. It was a hallway, with what appeared to be normal doors, except they had every kind of lock and bolt you could and could not imagine. Looking over the corridor, I noticed four automated guards, each one in front of a door. This was where my only friends were. Right when I began to think of a way I could lure the robots away from the doors, all four of the mechanized aberrations started to move away from their posts, and down the hall. I smiled, that Talkboy was doing its job flawlessly. When the guards were out of sight, I slithered through the vent's opening into the hallway. I walked silently up to the first door on my left. Using my malleability, I molded both my hands and wrists together to form a giant sledgehammer. I took the "sledgehammer" and smashed the door open. Through the entrance I made, I went in to find a very startled Ben staring back.  
  
"Kid, you, you..."  
  
"Yes, I am here Ben! And boy, have you changed!" I exclaimed quietly.   
  
As I said that, I noticed my arms going back to normal, and I could not stretch. It suddenly dawned on me that Doom had used power stabilizers on my friends. Even though Ben was human then, it was obvious he wanted out.  
  
"Ben, even though it's going to cost your humanity, I need your help in getting the others out."  
  
"Kid, I would take bein' tha Thing over bein' trapped in thiz cruddy joint." Ben replied as he stepped out of the cell with me.  
  
As quick as my powers came back to me, Ben transformed back into the human rock-pile called the Thing. After his metamorphosis was complete, Ben went to the two doors on the right side of the corridor, while I took care of the other one on my side. The door I wrecked open led to the cell that contained Father. Father walked out with an aura about him that was very calm, yet you could tell he was ecstatic over what I just accomplished. He looked at me in such a praising way, and said.  
  
"I just knew you could do it Marilyn."  
  
"Don't I always." I replied with a smile.  
  
Father then ordered the others to break out through the wall, and escape the castle, while me and him went to finish up with Doom.  



	13. 

As Father and I strided down the huge hallways, we noticed there were robots scattered everywhere. Some of the robots were trying to get up and move once again, but were failing in doing so. Father got more and more impressed as we progressed on.  
  
"I will forever be proud of you for what you accomplished today Mary. But, you know you must owe some of it to Doom not spotting you." He said in a voice soft enough to be heard but not by any tracking devices that could have been in the walls.  
  
"Knowing Doom Father, he probably has already detected the others escaping. He is just waiting for the right moment to strike."  
  
Right after I let that out, one could swear I was psychic. Doom's sardonic voice came on an intercom hidden behind a wall, or maybe the ceiling.  
  
"Greetings my friends. Or, should I say enemies? Just like I eavesdropped on your friends' conversation earlier, I listened in on you having a rather fatherly chat with Reed Richards, Marilyn Richards."  
  
Father stayed very still, except for his eyes observing every part of the hallway trying to locate the source of the voice. Doom just went on with his wicked talk.  
  
"This shall be my sweetest of victories. It will be like killing two birds with one stone, if you forgive my jest!"  
  
Suddenly there were loud rumbles that were at first distant, then became closer. When Father and I saw the boulder approaching us in the corridor, we noticed it had an odd gleam. Father's eyes went wide as he realized what caused the colossal stone's luster.  
  
"Quick Mary! We must find a vent or something to slither into! That boulder is oozing a substance that is corrosive or poisonous!"  
  
Luck was with us for when that was said, we saw above us a vent, and crawled in just in the nick of time. After the boulder thundered on beneath us, Father stretched his neck and peered about the hallway. He then brought is neck up, and said to me.  
  
"We better not go back that way. The slime left by that boulder will be remaining for quite some time down there."  
  
I simply nodded. And then, we went the only direction we could go, up. We stretched up towards the small light that increased in size the further we went. As soon as we reached our destination, Father extended his neck through the exit to see what lurked beyond. Instantly, he came back, and whispered to me in a voice of caution.  
  
"You better stay here my child. This is between Doom and me."  
  
I could not believe we had found Doom just like that.  
  
"Father, you mean Dr. Doom is...?"  
  
"Yes, he is right above us. Now Mary, in case I do not make it back from this confrontation, I do love you, and I know you'll do your best at leading the team."  
  
I could tell Father was planning to fight Doom to the death with those words.  
  
"Father, don't you think I am a little young to lead the team right now?"  
  
"Well, I'm confident you will choose the right person to lead then." He replied, patting my head.  
  
And as he began to go out into Doom's living chambers, his final words to me were in a voice that was definitely not full of confidence.  
  
"Only come in and fight Doom when it is necessary, or when I am down."  
  
Which to me translated as,  
  
"At the first sign of me wounded or dying, please jump in my child."  



	14. 

The minute Father oozed into Doom's dwelling quarters, Doom immediately turned around and shot a laser from his gauntlet straight towards his face. Father barely avoided the laser, and responded to it by hitting Doom in the face with his hand molded into a mace. Doom was not the least bit stunned. Even though one might think Doom was weak and crippled, and that the armor was built for life support. The truth is that Doom's armor gave him super strength, which made him more than just another genius to be reckoned with. As the fight went on, I looked through my knapsack for something I thought I could toss to Father to help him, but decided I better not interfere at all right then. Father was holding his own very well against Doom not just physically, but verbally.  
  
"You should know better than to bring your darling little brat on missions Richards, she could get injured as easily as THIS!" Doom let out as he shot a gauntlet-based laser right at the vent I was witnessing the duel from.  
  
It always pays to keep a very close eye on all aspects of a bout with Doom, for that was what saved me from his unexpected and attempted assault. Doom, angry at his attempt to kill me being a failure was caught off guard by my stepfather wrapping his arm tightly around Doom's throat hoping to strangle him. The evil man just chortled, and said.  
  
"You are such a fool Richards. My armor is bionic, and made from some of the strongest metals on Earth. Your little plan to strangle me to my death has proven to be a failure like most of your accomplishments should have been."  
  
Father replied in a voice of rage as he retracted his arm back to normal length so Doom could not harm it.  
  
"Doom, if you would only listen to reason. I never meant any harm nor did I sabotage your experiment. I was just trying to help prevent what became of your face and life from happening."  
  
"Bah! I have never needed correction, nor any help from a person like you. You will never admit to it Richards, but I AM the BETTER genius than you will ever be!"  
  
As he hollered "BETTER", a tiny vent opened above right where Father was standing, and a mist came out. Father suddenly became weak, drowsy, and pale.  
  
"There are times I rather you have died quicker. But, I think I shall treasure your dying a mere, not to mention slow death by poison Reed Richards." Doom maliciously said.  
  
It appeared that the poison was slowly trying to paralyze Father. Slowly, he wriggled out from the path of the mist's venomous vapors, and turned his head towards where I sat as if wanting to say.  
  
"Mary, help me!"  
  
Quickly, I got out the chemical bomb from my knapsack and threw it to where Doom stood! A miniscule explosion resulted. The explosion did not reach Father, and would only be enough to stun Doom, giving me enough time to gather the supplies I would need to do what I hoped would be finishing him off. I slipped on Father's silver gear belt, which I had forgotten to give him, but that worked out well for me. I got all I thought I would need into the empty belt's pockets. Then, I squirmed out of the vent to face the medieval sleaze-ball.  



	15. 

Doom was still stunned as I carefully approached him. As he regained his senses, he began to lament.  
  
"So... You are the little pipsqueak who ruined my plans. The plans to send you and your exasperating friends off to join the choir invisible..."  
  
I interrupted.  
  
"Good thing I devastated your agenda. My friends and I definitely do not have any noteworthy talents. If YOU will forgive MY jest!"  
  
Right as I said that, I squirted a drop of the same stun gas the chemical bomb contained from a vial on the floor a few inches away from Doom's armor covered hide. Doom let his cloak double as a gas mask as he said.  
  
"Blast you! And, how dare you ridicule me! You should prepare for the same fate your beloved guardian is suffering!"  
  
"I am prepared. But are you?" I retorted as I got out my slingshot already armed with a ball bearing that split second.   
  
With that weapon in hand, I manipulated myself into a ball, and bounced right over Doom's head at the moment he pressed the button to activate the poison emitting vent. When Doom was still turned around, I aimed the slingshot at one of his gauntlets, and fired with all my might. The ball bearing struck the middle of Doom's left gauntlet with a sharp "CLANG!" and blue-white sparks flew out as Doom grimaced in pain and anger. As I got out another ball bearing, I folded my head back to see how Father was doing. He was extremely weak, but still conscious. Also, he was trying to tell me something. I barely made out what he was saying.  
  
"Mary... Aim... for.. the right gauntlet. There.. is... a ring.. that.. controls his mask.. on it. I trust.. you'll know... what to do... from there."  
  
I nodded my head in response, and got back to tending with Doom. There was this burning look in Doom's eyes as he denounced my stepfather and I.  
  
"Ever since that day I met your guardian in State University, I always knew we were destined as mortal enemies. Never did I think he would have an urchin to assist him in his dilapidation of me."  
  
As I let out another drop of stun gas from the vial I got out from the gear belt once again, I replied.  
  
"Correction, you have plans to dilapidate us. Father nor I have never intended to completely ruin your life."  
  
"Doom never needs correcting! Bah!"  
  
With that "Bah!" said, he fired a laser from his only functioning gauntlet. Shortening myself, I avoided the laser. Just as I did that, I threw the stun gas vial towards the floor in front of Doom. The gas rose to choke Doom of all his breath and concentration of wanting me dead, giving me a chance to aim my slingshot at his right gauntlet. I pulled back the rubber band with to the exact length I pulled it back to when I destroyed Doom's left gauntlet, and let go. The ball bearing soared towards Doom's right gauntlet, and impacted upon the very ring on his middle finger Father mentioned to me with loud "CLING!" Golden sparks discharged from where part of a ring had been. Doom looked like he was ready to blow fire out of his mouth.  
  
"YOU... should NOT have done THAT." He said miserably.  
  
It was time to go in for the kill.  
  
"You know Doom, I know what would cheer you up, a makeover! And to start it off, let's take off that rather drab mask!" I said sarcastically.  
  
"You WOULD NOT DARE!" cracked Doom.  
  
"Indeed I would." Retorted I. With that said, I walked to the back of Doom, and grabbed hold of his mask, trying to pull it off. Doom put up a good fight, trying to get me off his back.  
  
"I hope you are enjoying our little game of "Monkey On the Back" like I am." I jested.  
"Only a brat like you would have the audacity to..."  
  
And it was then, the mask easily slipped off into my hands. Doom reflection stared back at himself in a mirror on the nearby wall. I leaped off Doom in time just as he screamed.  
"NOOOOO!!!! HOW COULD YOU?!?!"  
  
I walked up to him, and replied in as calm a tone as I could muster at that moment.  
  
"Doom, the moral of this is that even kittens have claws. In other words, just because I'm young doesn't mean I'm not as resourceful and clever like my stepfather."  
  
Doom began to lie down on his knees crying and screaming about how horrible his face looked along with his life being ruined. I looked back at Father, who stared back at me with a feeble smile on his face. He already was recovering from the poison gas.  
  
"I could have not handled Doom any better my child." Father softly said.  
  
I turned my head back towards Doom, and said in an appropriate, bratty tone.  
  
"By the way, I am Miss Fantastic, and he is Mister Fantastic. You, are not."  
  
Right after I said that, the thunder of robots approaching Doom's quarters was getting louder. I quickly went back to Father, and helped get him back on his feet, so we could escape to where the others were waiting outside of the castle.  



	16. 

The Fantastic Five headed back to the Baxter Building after being spotted by Air Force One passing over the tiny nation of Latveria. The four elder members were extremely proud of young Marilyn for accomplishing what they thought she would be too young to do. And, no one was more proud of her than her stepfather. As for Dr. Doom, it is not exactly known what became of him after his going mad thanks to Marilyn. But, it is quiet possible that he recovered from it as he always did because of his family friend and assistant, Boris. And, that someday, he shall attempt once more to triumph over those he opposes, the Fantastic Five, and especially its leader and his sidekick.  
  
*~*~The End*~*~  



End file.
